He made this known when APC supporters trooped to Mapo Hall, defying the cash and fuel crises, to express solidarity for Tinubu and and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, during their campaign ahead of the February 25 ballot.
Before arriving the rally, Tinubu and his entourage first visited Agodi Government House, where Makinde assured him that the people Oyo would vote for equity and unity of Nigeria.
Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had refused to attend his party’s presidential rally, but hosted Tinubu at the Governor’s Office, where he said the country must exist first before politics.
On the encourage of Tinubu to the Governor’s office were former Governors of Osun State (Bisi Akande and Gboyega Oyetola), Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare; House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; former Governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankoke, Dr. Betta Edu and others.
Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Tinubu said he was in Oyo to solicit the endorsement of Makinde.
But Makinde said he would choose unity and fairness over politics. He, therefore, urged Tinubu to carry on with his campaign.
Makinde said: “Players will come and go, but our country will remain. So, we, the G-5 and Integrity Group, are saying that if we have to choose between the unity of this country and our political aspirations, we will choose the unity of this country.
“So, I alluded to the sacrifices made by our colleagues, the governors of the APC from the Northern part of the country, because we also monitored your emergence and they sacrificed some certain things for the unity of the country. We have to move on as a people.”
Earlier, Tinubu had said: “I am aspiring to be the president of united Nigeria. For that sake, political divides and separation must be clearly out of our way. That is why the first port of call should be the chief executive and security officer of the state constitutionally. That is why I am here to give you the insight of why we are here in Oyo today. Thank you for the good reception you gave us. It is not easy to take an opposition entourage into of your shed. But you did.”
Tinubu also met traditional rulers across the South West at University of Ibadan (UI) to solicit their support before proceeding to Mapo Hall to address the mammoth crowd that waited for hours for him.
